Cinnamon Roll Muffins (Vegan, Gluten Free)

One of the holiday traditions in my house growing up was a big batch of cinnamon rolls for breakfast in the morning.  They were not traditionally made from scratch but with store bought bread dough and a box of butterscotch pudding mix.  They were so delicious and always a treat.  A great solution to avoid the processed part of the version my family made would be to make them yourself right?  The problem with that is how much time it takes to make a good cinnamon roll from scratch.  Dealing with the yeast, rolling out the dough, making a filling, baking, and frosting them can just be too much.  I set out to make something healthier and using whole food ingredients but still have the essence of an old fashioned cinnamon roll.

It just so happens that this month recipe redux theme is showing off a quick bread creation fresh from the oven.  Quick breads are any bread leavened with leavening agents other than yeast or eggs.  Quick breads can include cakes, brownies, banana bread, beer bread, biscuits, scones, or MUFFINS.  An essential requirement of a quick bread is that they are well quick to make.  These cinnamon roll muffins are made in the food processor for the easiest way to mix up the dough.

Cinnamon roll meets muffin @organicRD

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The inspiration for these muffins were my gluten free fig muffins that I made with the figs from my back yard over the summer.  I switched out the figs for dates.  Dates remind me so much of the filling of most cinnamon rolls which is usually made from brown sugar and butter.  I just so happened to have tons of dates leftover from when I picked them a couple of months back straight from the trees.  They great thing about using dates in these muffins are that they are sweet enough and I didn’t have to add any additional sweetener.

These muffins are slightly sweet, moist, a little crunchy on the outside, and so quick to make.  You can’t have a cinnamon roll without frosting.  I made my cashew maple cream to go on top for the perfect finishing touch.  I may never go back to cinnamon rolls again.

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Cinnamon Roll Muffins (Vegan, Gluten Free)

A cinnamon roll meets muffin for a quicker version of this special treat.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup soft dates pitted (about 12)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
• 1/2 cup coconut or almond milk
• 2 chia eggs 2 tablespoons chia + 6 tablespoons water, or 2 regular eggs
• 6 soft dates pitted and chopped

Cashew Maple Frosting

• 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked overnight in water and a splash of lemon or vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup pecans chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small sauce pan over medium low heat add the 1/2 cup dates and water.
3. Cook until dates are mushy and most of the liquid is evaporated.
4. Mash the dates with a fork until it is a paste, set aside and allow to cool about 10 minutes.
5. In a food processor add the oats, brown rice flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
6. Pulse to combined.
7. To the date paste, add the vanilla, coconut oil, chia eggs, and milk stirring to combined.
8. With the processor running add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until a dough forms.
9. Pulse in the chopped dates and pecans to combined.
10. Scoop the dough into lined muffin cups.
11. Baked until golden brown 20-25 minutes.
12. Let cool 15-20 minutes.
13. Right before eating top with cashew maple frosting.
14. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

For frosting

1. Drain and rinse the cashews.
2. Put the nuts, maple syrup, and water in a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to one week until ready to use.

Recipe Notes

*choose organic ingredients when possible.